69 percent of Genesee County high school graduates finished first year of college; a third required remedial education, study shows

GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan — One in three Genesee County high school graduates who pursue higher education in Michigan enroll in remedial education once they get there, a Flint Journal analysis of new state data shows.

Meanwhile, 69 percent of county high school graduates finished one year’s worth of college credits in 2008-2009.

The data from the recently released Center for Educational Performance and Information report put a new spin on college readiness levels in Michigan.

An earlier state report this year showed far more dismal results — that only 7 percent of 2011 Genesee County grads were college ready based on ACT scores.

“One of the things this data tells us is that the assumption that most of our kids aren’t ready for college is absolutely wrong,” Genesee Intermediate School District Spokesman Jerry Johnson said. “It tells us that 70 percent of our kids perform well in college, and only 30 percent require any remedial coursework.

“One of the reasons that’s been used about why people don’t continue or finish the college experience is that they weren’t ready to begin with. This data would suggest that maybe it’s something else. It’s not a failure of the K-12 system.”

One of the biggest differences between CEPI data and the U.S. Department of Education data that came out earlier this year is the department’s data were based on ACT scores that measures English, math, reading and science skills. CEPI data show how students did once in college.

Colleges traditionally don’t offer remedial courses for science, so gaps in that subject may not show in the CEPI data.

The CEPI report shows four of the 21 county districts saw at least half of their graduates enroll in remedial coursework.

“We understood there were some gaps in the curriculum being taught at that time,” said Beecher Superintendent Josha Talison who took the helm of the district in 2010. “We’ve overhauled the curriculum with the goal of making sure our kids are being exposed to what they need to be taught everyday so that they are college and career ready.

“This data allows our district to address the issues, and we need to have real conversations.”

“Our zip code does not dictate our aptitude,” Talison added in reference to Beecher’s high number of families living below poverty.

Meanwhile, Grand Blanc saw the smallest percentage of graduates — 18 percent — enroll in remedial coursework among students attending a Michigan college, followed by Linden, Swartz Creek, Kearsley and Goodrich, which all saw less than a quarter of students in remedial courses.

Fifteen of the 21 districts also saw at least 60 percent of students achieve one year’s worth of college credits, with Goodrich’s 85 percent topping out the group.

On the other end, Bendle, Beecher and Bentley had the lowest percent of graduates finishing one year of college. Still, those districts saw nearly half of graduates complete the first year.

“Even though they may have to go through remedial courses their first year, this data shows they stuck it out,” Talison said.

Overall, Genesee County saw nearly 34 percent of graduates in remedial courses, faring slightly better than the state’s average of 36 percent.

But some educators still say students should leave high school meeting the rigorous standards of ACT measurements, regardless of whether they pursue those subjects in college.

College officials also say many more students require the developmental classes to be college ready than those who take them.

Remedial education is an especially sore spot for colleges with open admission such as Baker College of Flint and Mott Community College — neither campus requires certain grades or test scores to get in.

The schools, which have struggled with stubbornly low graduation rates, have long blamed college readiness as one of several key reasons so many students take longer to finish degrees.

But officials there acknowledge that their campuses see a disproportional high number of students needing remedial education. Students’ grades and test scores may keep them from getting into other colleges with stricter entrance requirements.

Among a cohort of students whose data is being tracked at MCC, 67 percent were directed toward developmental classes in 2009-2010.

Developmental classes, which cover math, reading and writing from elementary-levels up, cannot be used for credit toward a degree.

Math is the only subject that students are required to place into, but administrators are considering also requiring other remedial classes.

Just this fall, MCC offered 25 different sections of remedial reading courses.

“There are students coming out of all of the districts who are under-prepared,” said MCC Vice President of Academic Affairs Amy Fugate.

“If you have to spend even a semester taking courses to remediate the skills that are necessary for the other courses, that’s going to add on to the time it takes before you graduate.

“Students who choose to take the recommended developmental course are more successful in later courses than those who choose not to take them.”

A portion of MCC’s remedial student population includes nontraditional-aged students such as displaced workers who have been out of school for decades and need refresher courses. But Fugate said the majority of students in developmental classes are in the 18 to twenty-something group.

UM-Flint only offers one developmental course in algebra that roughly 12 percent of first-time freshmen were placed into this year.

Differences in districts, from tutoring and after-school programming to diversity of course offerings and appropriate textbooks and supplies, are among factors the data doesn’t show, said Aimi Moss, UM-Flint’s director of academic advising and career center.

“The money that is in districts I think is profound,” she said.

But Moss said college readiness is not just about academics .

Income level, parents’ education level and whether or not students are working while in school are other factors for why some students drop out of college temporarily or don’t do well in classes, she said.

“Academic preparedness certainly plays a factor, but some students have to focus on different things because they have more stressors in their lives,” Moss said.

She said at UM-Flint this year, 25 percent of the freshman class included self reported first-generation college students, a population whose success levels will soon be studied on campus.

“There are so many layers to what contributes to a student being successful,” she said. “Whenever an institution only looks at these issues from one level, it’s a disservice.”